Page 63 of Alien Rescue

“The conversation we recorded said to detonate the bombs as soon as they were built. Nothing was said about specific cities.”

She slammed the coffee down and some of it spilled over the rim and ran down the cup to pool on the table. “You lied to me. How could you lie to me?”

“It was necessary. I needed your cooperation.”

Rose couldn’t believe what she’d heard. “How can you say you care for me, make love to me like you do, and then lie to me like that? Use me? You don’t care for me. You just wanted to use me.” Just like her father, just like Parnell.

He grew several inches. “I had to do my work as a warrior.”

“And that is more important to you than I am?” She could feel her heart break into a million pieces.

He stared at her, not answering, and that was answer enough.

“Can you understand that if you lie to me about one thing, I will doubt everything else you say to me?” He’d been so glib, had embroidered his lies.

He blinked, one slow blink, as if coming out of a trance. “I will think of this.” He turned and walked out of the tent, a good thing because she was capable of killing him with her bare hands at that moment.

Muttering to herself, she activated the TC and continued her research on the superman drug. Though, she really didn’t need any more betrayal from her love ones.

He came back just before dinner and got them food from his machine, and they ate and went to bed in silence. She wanted to tell him to go find somewhere else to sleep, but while she’d showered, she’d briefly lost her balance. She didn’t want to be alone.

The next morning, she woke to the aroma of coffee and opened her eyes to find Zanr sitting on the edge of the bed.

He held out the cup like a sacred offering. “I care for you more than I care to be a warrior. I will only lie to you for your protection.”

Rose took the coffee from him and shook her head. “Fine, but we are partners, and partners trust each other.” She had a lot of work on her hands with this one. How did you explain to a stubborn warrior that you didn’t want to be lied to? Even if it was to save your life.

He nodded. “We will go to the river and stake out the area where the submarine is in the human fashion. I want to see who goes there, before I take them down.”

They went to the river, and again it wasn’t long before they saw movement. Morgan appeared, walking with purpose. “That little creep,” she muttered.

He reached the river and called out. Someone she couldn’t see called back, and Morgan curled his lip. It was a gesture of distaste she’d seen him make before when he thought someone was doing something stupid.

“Bloody nerd scientists,” he muttered loud enough for her to hear.

She leaned closer to Zanr and said in his ear. “This doesn’t make sense. Yesterday he didn’t know where the submarine was.”

“We will find out how he got the information.”

A fine network of glowing wires became visible. It formed a dome over the river and the banks on both sides. In front of her Zanr stiffened. She could see his hands clench on the steering handles. “That’s why we didn’t see it yesterday,” she whispered in his ear.

He nodded and they both stared down at Morgan as the glowing wires parted to allow him entrance. He walked up to the submarine that was now visible and went inside. He emerged again almost immediately, smirking. He stepped through the hole the wires made and walked back the way he’d come.

The wires were amazing, but not even close to whatever technology Zanr used to cloak the hoverbike and the shuttle. Whatever the wires did, the aliens managed to do without. They sat watching for what felt like the whole day, but it was only four hours before Zanr decided it was time to take action. Rose knew it was his hope of finding the codes to deactivate the nanos more than anything else that made him act.

Zanr flew a way back and placed the hoverbike behind some building rubble. “You will wait for me here. You will be safe with the cloak hiding you.”

“I’m not hiding while you go alone into danger.” What did he think she was? Some kind of coward? Well she was a coward, she admitted, ashamed of herself. Because she couldn’t go into the boxed-in interior of the submarine.

He looked at her, cocking his head in that way he had, and then took her arm. “I will give you a weapon and you will be my backup.”

Rose wanted to argue, but she knew it was a miracle he’d even agreed to this much.

He carefully chose a spot for her on the bank of the river, high enough that she looked down at the area where the boat was. Except now it had disappeared again. Morgan stepped out, and when she wanted to go for him, Zanr held her back. “Later. We will find and question him later.”

She nodded, but she still wanted to grab Morgan and beat the stuffing out of him.

Zanr crouched next to her. “I have set the cloak to cover you here. If anyone enters behind me, shoot them.”

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